Faith In The Heart
by Casey Toh
Summary: Jas is crippled. Will she ever regain her faith? Third story in Jas Lee series.


Disclaimer: The Magician and all related characters belong to Gaumont Multimedia. Jas Lee is a figment of my imagination. Please ask before you use her. Thanks.

**FAITH IN THE HEART**

By Casey Toh

"Stop right there!" A teen of no more than nineteen weaved through the crowd, keeping her target in sight at all times.

Heads turned curiously to stare at prey and predator, but none lifted even a finger to help. When the two figures rounded a corner and disappeared out of sight, the people carried on as if nothing had happened.

Jas Lee felt the wind rush past her face and through her long, blonde hair as she pumped her long legs faster in pursue of a pickpocket she had spotted, almost catching up with the man. "If you don't stop," Jas muttered to herself, "don't blame me for being rough."

Focusing partly on still giving chase, Jas concentrated and called on the power that was in her—her own pool of mystical energy Nature had bestowed on her. She felt the familiar warm tingle on her right arm as the eagle birthmark she possessed detached itself and increased in size and solidity to become a sixteen feet bird of blue semi-transparent force.

Its beak parted to emit a shrill cry it seemed only Jas could hear, and banked sharply to swoop down towards the crook. Too intent on directing it towards her target, Jas made a fatal mistake. She ran straight into the middle of a relatively busy road.

Furious honking and the deafening screech of tires on gravel made her jerk her gaze to the right. She was right in the path of a jeep, and it was closing the gap fast.

Acting on pure adrenaline and instinct, Jas dived out of the way. But she didn't land far enough. Another vehicle that was too close rode right over her legs.

A cry of agony escaped Jas's lips as the weight of the minivan delivered searing pain through her legs and to her mind. The last thing her shocked brain could comprehend was her own reflection in the shiny metal of the passenger door before she gave in to the welcoming darkness.

***

"Jas." Something warm and soft caressed her face. "Jas."

She used the voice as a line out of the sludge she seemed to be swimming in. Her gaze slowly focused and became clearer. She saw Ace Cooper, Derek Vega and Cosmo, all of whom were her friends.

"Hey." With a weak smile, she attempted to sit up, but found that her legs would not respond to even her slightest command. Becoming frantic, she pushed herself up with the arms. "What happened to my legs?"

"Easy, sis." Cosmo gently pushed her back.

Jas took deep breaths and tried to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat, finding it hard to breathe, and trying to control the sickening feeling she was experiencing. "Okay. Give it to me."

Ace eyed her warily and spoke slowly. "Miraculously, your legs were not crushed during the accident, though you felt pain. It may be because of your power that prevented your legs from getting injured. However, the doctors said that your mind erected a block that prevents you from using your legs. They suspect the block is there to shield you from shock."

"In other words, it's all in your mind, kid," Vega put in gently.

Jas laughed harshly. "All in the mind?" Her face returned to its poker look. "Get out."

"But Jas, you can't be alone," Cosmo protested.

"Out!" She snapped. "Get—out!" She emphasized each word sharply.

The three men left the ward quickly and left Jas to herself, whereupon hot tears streamed angrily down her face and she buried her face in her hands; body wrecked with uncontrollable sobs.

***

The whole Magic Express was silent and no one uttered a word as Ace wheeled Jas in. She disengaged Ace's hands from the handle and headed to her room. Even Zina and Angel sensed their moods—especially Jas's—and the panther was more subdued in her enthusiasm.

The black panther knew that one of her 'cub' was not her usual self, and was determined to offer some comfort. She entered Jas's room and saw the teen struggling to get out of the wheelchair and onto the bed, and moved under the teen to help her.

Jas leaned against the backrest, feeling the all too familiar tears threatening to flow, and hated herself for it; hated herself for her cowardice. The pain of knowing she may never walk again had been her constant companion through the last two days. "Stop crying, Lee!" she snapped to herself.

Zina jumped onto the bed and rested against Jas; rough tongue washing away the hot tears. That act of love unlocked the teen's dammed up emotions, and Jas cursed. She cursed the thief whom she had chased. She cursed her power for being useless. And she cursed herself for not being careful or fast enough.

Ace and Cosmo burst into her room; the younger of the two instantly embracing Jas and soothing her. Cosmo's support was accepted and she slowly calmed down.

The Magician took his young charge's hand and offered his silent support; Cosmo constantly reassuring the teen he treated like a sister. Seeing the two teens so close Ace felt proud as well as saddened. He had not been entirely sure Cosmo had approved of him taking Jas in as a student and friend. But now he could see that the two had bonded so tightly that they were two halves of the same whole. But it was much lamented that it took such a situation to bring out their usually closely guarded love.

"I'm here, sis. I'm here," the redheaded teen whispered.

Ace decided to let Cosmo be alone with Jas. They were of the same age after all, and could communicate much better. He got up silently and called Zina to him, preparing to leave the room. But not before he spotted a lone, single tear hanging from Cosmo's eye.

***

"How is she?" Mona Malone, a beautiful redhead that was the daughter of the crime-lord Black Jack, and a famous blues singer at Croesus Palace, queried.

Ace shook his head in sorrow. "She's acting as if everything is all right. But you can see her fears, her doubts, her pain and her insecurities."

Cosmo slammed his cup down on the table in frustration, which surprised the others. The teen had never been violent before. "Why won't she let us help her, Ace? It's been a month!"

"Cosmo," Ace started slowly, "I know you want to help. I do too. But maybe what Jas wants is to cope with it on her own. You can offer help, but she has to accept it."

"Give my love to her, Cosmo," Mona put in. "For some reason she doesn't want to see me."

_And I think I know why,_ Cosmo thought.

***

Jas tried to stand, and failed. She tried to move her legs while supporting herself against the cool, metallic wall, and crumpled onto the floor.

_Stand up, Jas!_ She screamed at herself. _Quit feeling sorry for yourself! Shut up and stand up, Jas!_ With renewed determination, she pushed herself up partly, only to find that her mind was willing but her body was weak, and that she had exhausted herself, and slumped back down.

She felt a pair of hands on her shoulders. Comforting hands. She knew who it was. "Cosmo." Her blue-gray eyes sought his. "I can't do it."

Trying to change the subject, he said, "Mona asked about you, and wants to know why you don't want to see her."

"Isn't it obvious?" She hissed. "Why bother her? I don't want Ace and her to lose time together 'cause of me." She leveled her gaze at him. "And don't try to change the subject."

Seeing her dotted with perspiration and panting, Cosmo couldn't bear the sight of it. Jas was torturing herself. "Sis, take a breather, okay?"

"Take a breather?" Jas echoed with contempt directed solely at herself. "Yeah, maybe you're right, bro. I'm useless at anything so I might as well stop."

"No you're not." Cosmo shook her hard. "You have to give yourself some time, Jas. You're not a god. You can't snap your fingers and expect yourself to stand up."

"But I can do better!" She screamed at him. "I'm not doing my best! I'm plain useless!"

Cosmo instantly embraced her and willed her to calm down, which she eventually did, just a little. "Listen to me. You're human. All humans have weaknesses. All obstacles are hard before they are conquered. Some people are fast; others are slower. Take your time, Jas."

It took some time for her friend's words to be assimilated. She sighed, an inner battle of logic and emotions raging in her. For the time being, the former was winning. "Okay. Will you help me?"

"You don't have to ask." Cosmo hoisted her up, and with a strong arm around her waist, helped Jas continue with her trial. 

***

"Get me outta here," Jas mumbled. "Please."

Cosmo and Jas were seated in the Magic Racer, a sleek, bullet-shaped car of The Magician's. Ace had left the car at the sidewalk and headed into a grocery store, leaving the teens in the car. The canopy was opened to allow them fresh air, but Jas could not stand the pitying looks she got from people.

"I'll go hurry Ace," Cosmo offered, vaulting out of the Racer and running into the store.

Jas gave a sigh and closed the canopy, feeling decidedly relieved that the mirrored Plexiglas offered shelter from eyes. "This is so stupid."

Then, screams cut through the car to reach her ears and Jas's eyes snapped towards the source of the noise. It came from a nearby construction site. "Angel, magnify image, please."

"Done," the pleasant, feminine voice of their AI's announced.

Jas stared at the computer screen, and saw the cable of an open-air elevator frayed. The elevator was prevented from succumbing to the pull of gravity only by the three remaining cables, which seemed as if they were going to snap anytime.

"Angel, lower the ramp," she ordered as she climbed onto her wheelchair.

"Jas, you can't help them in this condition," Angel protested.

"I have to do it, Angel. Lower it now." The AI had no choice but to do as the teen said. Jas pushed the wheelchair out of the Racer and headed to the site.

Before she reached the sea of sand typical of construction, Jas swerved expertly and braked to a stop. More screams rattled her eardrums and she saw that another cable had snapped, the elevator swinging wildly in the air. Two workmen in it gestured frantically for help, which couldn't come in time from the cops.

"Gotta help. Gotta help." Jas chanted as she went into the familiar trance-like state. She drew from her well of mystical energy and called for her eagle, which as usual, left her arm and grew in size.

But this time, the bird stopped at only seven feet, and it seemed more transparent and paler than usual. Jas even had to squint a little to make out its outline. 

The eagle soared to grab hold of the cables, but Jas knew it couldn't hold the elevator. It was too weak. **She** was too weak.

Dimly, she heard Ace and Cosmo's voice calling her, before she closed her eyes and let her mind go completely.

***

Ace and Cosmo exited the grocery store, each carrying an armload of paper bags. As they neared the Magic Racer, both knew something was wrong. 

"Angel, where's Jas?" Ace demanded.

"She's at the construction site just five hundred meters down," Angel reported. "The cables of an elevator snapped and there's two men in it. I tried to stop her from going but she wouldn't listen."

The men glanced at each other, dumped their load onto the sidewalk, and sprinted for the site. The figure of their friend grew increasingly clearer as they neared. The eagle that was Jas's power had already appeared. But it was smaller, fainter…weaker.

In a flash, Ace understood why. Jas's power was directly linked to her psyche and soul. If she didn't have confidence in herself, she could not strengthen the eagle enough to help her.

And right now, Jas's confidence in herself was close to nil. It could be dangerous for her if she exerted herself too much.

"Jas!"

***

_She was entering a part of herself she had never dared to venture into; had resisted entering. It was the portion where she kept the memories of her father alive. She was afraid, afraid that she hadn't lived up to his expectations; that she had let him down._

_Dad? Her mind spoke to an image of Jason Brend._

_Jas, my daughter. He enveloped her in a hug. Something is troubling you._

_The teen pulled away, not surprised that her father knew. He **always** knows everything. She glanced away, then back at him_. _"Do you think I'm a failure, Dad?"_

_"Jas, you are a failure only if you allow yourself to be. I know it's hard to accept help from Ace and Cosmo. You're afraid that they'd hurt and use you."_

_She hung her head. "Yeah. I know I can never walk again on my own. But it's too painful to rely on them as a pillar. I'm afraid that if they suddenly leave one day, I'll fall."_

_Jason drew her into another hug. "Deep down inside, you know they are your true friends. Rely on yourself, yes, but also draw strength from their presence. At this instant, though, you have to draw strength from yourself, but let friendship heal your wounds and carry you through when you are tired."_

_"Thanks, Dad." She released him and wiped at her moist eyes._

Jason smiled, his blue eyes sparkling. "I know you can do it, jaguar. Be strong, and stand."

***

Jas pushed herself up, and stood. She took a few hesitant steps forward, testing out legs that had gone unused for a few months. Once she was confident that they would support her—at least for the moment—she raised her right hand towards the elevator, which was now shaking as the cables threatened to break.

In mid-flight, the eagle shimmered and grew, turning a darker blue and sharpening its outline simultaneously. Upon Jas's directions, it grabbed the remaining cables and snapped them at points above its grip. With the elevator—and the humans in it—safely in its claws, the eagle took to the air, circled a few times—each time lower than before—and placed the elevator on solid ground; the humans in it frightened but unhurt.

A resounding cheer filled the air as Jas's legs failed her and she crumpled onto the ground. Strong arms instantly went around her in an attempt to offer support as well as comfort. She was too spent to even turn her head. A few of the many drops of perspiration flowed into her eyes, blurring the glimpse she had of yellow and black. "Ace. Cosmo," she rasped, throat dry.

"Are you all right, Jas?" Ace's voice had a soothing quality that she found reassuring.

"Yeah." She managed a weak grin, wiggling her toes experimentally. "I can walk again."

"No kidding, sis!" Cosmo exclaimed. "You got up and walked!"

"Yeah, I did," Jas concurred, then whispered, "Could you take me home, guys? I'm exhausted."

The last thing she heard before she drifted off into dreamland was the comforting voices of her friends saying, "You're going home."

***

"You were great out there, kid," Lieutenant Derek Vega lauded his young friend.

"Yes, Jas," Mona Malone agreed. "You finally found the courage to walk again."

"Yeah, because of Ace and Cosmo. It was their patience and love that got me through this."  
"You did it yourself, sis," Cosmo insisted. "You rarely accepted any of our help."

"I know. But I could draw on the support you guys gave me." She shook her head; blue-gray eyes filled with raging emotions. "I had a talk with my Dad, somehow. I was afraid of accepting your help 'cause I didn't want to be hurt if I didn't have you guys.

But deep down, I knew you guys were true friends. No," she corrected herself, "you're more than friends. You're my family. When I was down, you pulled me up. When I lost faith, both in myself and in you, you gave it back to me. It just took my father to make me realize that." She took a deep breath. "Thanks guys."

As Jas allowed herself to break down just a little, Ace and Cosmo embraced her and offered her their strength and love. And the teen finally knew that they were all a family…

In soul if not in blood.

**THE END**


End file.
